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Woman With Mental Illness Explains Why Depression And Other Illnesses Make People So Tired

Matt Davidson

Writer and sassy ginger currently residing in central Pennsylvania. Matt spends most of his free time online shopping for clothing that he doesn't need, perfecting the art of eye-rolling, and indulging in all forms of pop culture.

Mental health and illness are so viciously stigmatized that at times it can be hard for the average person to fully comprehend what goes on inside the mind of someone suffering from any number of mental disorders, as well as the signs and symptoms associated with them.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 20 percent of adults in the U.S. experience mental illness. These can include depression, bipolar disorder, and other major mood disorders. And if you've ever talked with a mental illness sufferer, you might have heard them utter the phrase, "I'm tired" without giving it much thought, but extreme tiredness and fatigue can often be a major indication of mental illness or it could be a sign of something more physical such as chronic fatigue syndrome.

Visual artist and mental health advocate Pauline Palita has taken to social media to explain what it's like to be tired all the time due to mental illness.

Allow me to explain Why Mental Illnesses Can Make People So Tired.

Chances are, if you know someone with a mental disorder or disability, you might have asked them or thought, “Why are you tired?” pic.twitter.com/1U9vFJfC4M

Not many people ask me if I’m OK, but when they do my answer is always the same “I’m fine, just tired” — and people seem to accept that reply.For me, “I’m tired” is not a complaint or pessimistic. It’s merely a fact of life.

Allow me to explain why a person who is constantly battling their own brain and societal expectations may feel so drained.These are ppl whose brains are stuck in overdrive and have a great amount of difficulty unwinding to fall asleep at night.

For the “average” person, it takes seven minutes to fall asleep.Imagine crawling into bed exhausted and it takes the average of an hour to fall asleep, instead of seven minutes. Every nap and bathroom break and the brain relaxation delay begins again.

These are people whose sleep is frequently disturbed and who spend their nights tossing and turning instead of resting. Sometimes they’re awoken by noises, pain, an inability to keep body parts still, by loud noises inside of their heads, vivid dreams and many other reasons.

These are people who wake up feeling, at best, slightly more rested than they were when they crawled into bed in the first place — like a battery that has been damaged that never seems to recharge properly.

These are people who for decades don’t feel rested after their slumber.

These are people who put an immense amount of effort into focusing on the task they’re supposed to do or perform, while their minds are trying to carry them down other paths or while they are struggling to remember just what those tasks are.

These are are people with working memory issues who — from school age on into adulthood — lack the skill to remember multi-step instructions in a world where they’re just expected to know how to do it.

These are ppl who are in a constant war w/their own brain, ppl who are battling their own thoughts & fears; hearing every day from their brains they arent good enough,strong enough,skinny enough,that ppl dont like them or that they should hav done better just to list a few things

Who are often asked questions or who hear comments like, “Why are you always tired?” “Just suck it up deal with it,” “It’s just a lack of discipline,” “It’s all in your head,” “Stop being so pessimistic” and “Stop being so lazy.”

These are ppl who experience sensory overload that mentally exhausts them. From the clothing they are expected to wear, the food they are expected to eat, the noise around them, the sights engulfing them & the odors surrounding them, these ppl’s senses are constantly under attack

It’s like living on a rope bridge swaying in the wind over a canyon while you’re afraid of heights, and hearing, “I don’t understand what you’re complaining about, the bridge is secure. Suck it up and deal with it. I can do it, so you can too.”

These are people who expel a large amount of energy trying to understand body language and emotions. It would be like showing you a picture of my cat and expecting you to identify what he’s feeling based on his facial expression and pose within minutes, multiple times a day

These are ppl who are struggling w/their brains to differentiate whats real and whats not, bcoz their brains present everything to them as reality.These are ppl who hav physical manifestations from their mental struggles bcoz being on high alert takes a physical toll on a person

These are people whose muscles ache constantly or whose muscles are tired from being tense too often, who get frequent headaches or migraines, whose appetite is affected and whose immune system becomes impaired… just to name a few things.

Do they need somebody to look them in the eyes and tell them they’re not fine but that you’re there for them? Do they need someone to realize they’re not OK and to offer them a hug? Because I know when I say I’m tired, that’s what I need.

Instead, imagine living your life on a rope bridge over a canyon, or imagine how you would feel if someone jabbed you and woke you up several times a night for just one year, and the physical and mental impact it would have on you.

It's so honest and brave to see a person with mental illness speaking out and sharing their experiences for everyone to read. Hopefully more people will read this and feel encouraged to speak out and help change the public's perception of mental illness.